JPL 2.0 Thing #8 : RSS

What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?
It is really convenient to be able to get all of the news, gossip, info., etc., that you want in one place, especially if you have a lot of sites that you like to keep up with regularly. It beats taking the time to go to each of the sites. Plus, you will know pretty quickly whether a site has been updated or not when you get the feed. You won't end up going to a site only to find out there is nothing new on it.

How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your work or personal life?
To really keep on top of things as a children's librarian, you have to keep up with new developments in the field, what other libraries and librarians are doing, and book reviews--amongst other things--and it is hard to find the time to always go to multiple web sites to access this information. Again, having it all in one place--and without ads and other junk to wade through--is very convenient.

How can libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?
Well, if a library has a blog, staff can recommend that internet users subscribe to the feed. That way, patrons can stay up to date on what's happening at their local branch, get notices of new materials that have arrived, etc. Plus, libraries within certain regions could subscribe to one another's feeds--granted they all actually had feeds--to keep up on events happening in the area (just for general knowledge and to prevent overlap). It would increase inter-library-system awareness and cooperation.